Atlas V to Launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Feb. 9

(February 4, 2010) -- Atlas V is set to launch NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Feb. 9, with a launch window of 10:30-11:30 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. If the launch scrubs, the next launch attempt is set for Feb. 10 with a launch window of 10:26-11:36 a.m. EST.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory is the first mission to be launched for NASA`s Living With a Star (LWS) Program, a program designed to understand the causes of solar variability and its impacts on Earth. SDO is designed to help us understand the Sun`s influence on Earth and Near-Earth space by studying the solar atmosphere on small scales of space and time and in many wavelengths simultaneously